IE XIII: CHASING THE LIGHTS

The light poles flash past in a blur, mesmerising Eva as she speeds over the desolate roads towards the Capital. The stormy wind is caught in her hair as Eva tries to keep the strands out of her eyes, but doing so is difficult with one hand almost glued to the speeder's frame. Racing so fast makes her heart pound with anxiety as she looks over the shoulder of Daxan in front of her, wondering how he got his speeder. Nobody gets them out of nowhere here on Vaulent 6.

The distant skyscrapers of the Capital loom through the night fog as Eva glances at him. "Daxan. You're a little bit… too young to own a bike," she stammers. "How did you get it?"

Daxan tilts his head to her a little while keeping his eyes on the road. "Dad was a mechanic. Owned a garage at Flintston Road. He spent every free moment working on his speederbike he bought for cheap. Kept upgrading and upgrading it until it became a beast." He chuckles. "Yeah, he always took a look at it before he went to sleep-until the damn thing happened." Eva hears a hint of pain in his voice, hiding in his words, but still noticeably present. "And so, his speeder passed down to me, and now I'm driving it," he says, glancing shortly over his shoulder at her.

Eva hums with a nod. "I'm sorry for the loss. I'm glad you got his speederbike in return. You know, it must be an emotional keepsake, something to feel like he's still there."

"It is," Daxan responds. "Everywhere I go, he's always with me. It always makes me feel at ease. What's that part of your story?"

"My blaster," Eva responds. "Dad was a manufacturer at BlasTech."

"BlasTech huh? Prestigious job."

"Yeah, quite the job." The memories of walking through the BlasTech facility with the assembly lines stretching into infinity flash before her eyes, rushing back with warmth as she feels the warm feeling in her hands when dad kept her with him, trying to hold her back from running through the hallways with amazement. The flashing light poles feel mesmerising, thinking back to it all.

Eva zips the pocket of her jacket open and pulls out dad's wedding necklace, still shining in her hands after all the proton bombs and firefights it endured when Eva took it on her journey. Now, it sits in her pockets, though still spotless, but not shining as much in the moonlight as it did before. It feels a little bit wrong to not wear it as much as she used to, but Eva understands that a shining necklace in the dark can betray her costless position to Rebel insurgents.

The bracelet Eline gave to her still sits tightly around her arm, just below the wrist, its little blocks with as many colours as the rainbow.

"Anyway, the city is up ahead. Where should I put you off?"

Eva shoves her thoughts off and puts the necklace carefully back into her pocket, zipping it shut. "The Academy. Need to pick something up."

"On my way."

Suddenly, Daxan pushes the pedal further and Eva almost falls off her seat, clinging tightly to the speeder with two, sweaty hands. As they enter the Capital, the dense traffic slows them down, finally letting Eva breathe. They arrive at the Academy and Eva steps off. Quickly, she races through the bleak hallways to her barracks. Opening the door, she finds the stone sitting on her nightstand, the same way as when she left it. It is the thing the Twi'lek needs for some reason. Perhaps Mr Dane can tell her more about it. He's the one who possessed it for quite some time.

"Got everything?" Daxan asks as Eva returns from the entrance gates.

Eva hums and steps onto his bike, sitting behind him. "Got everything."

"Did security say something?" he asks.

"Nah, too busy getting their Caf machine working again."

Daxan chuckles. "Of course. Budget cuts, huh?" He flips the ignition and the engine starts howling with power. "Where to?"

"Tarkinstreet Soi 9," Eva responds.

Daxan steers away from the sidewalk and pushes the pedal and shrieks away.

As they drive towards the home of Mr Dane, Eva wonders whether he knew about this stone's importance. Apparently, it is important to that Twi'lek supermonster. Surely, he must've known that it held value. Well, apparently, he did not. Did he genuinely not know what it was, that it was so important that even the Alliance wanted it? There are some things that do not seem to add up. Time to get answers from Mr Dane himself.

As they stop at a red light, Daxan moves his chin up a little. "Care to explain what we are doing?"

"Well…" Eva stops in her words and hesitates. Does he need to know everything if he's just her driver? What will he say if she tells him she's having nightmares? She would look like a little child to him, unable to sleep because of some silly, bad dreams that don't stop. Better maintain the image of the perfect soldier rather than getting jokes slapped in her face. She cannot mouth off. She has to be careful with what slips out. "I found some information," Eva stammers. "I need someone to verify it, you know."

"Interesting," says Daxan. "Some spy-detective work, eh?"

Eva hums.

"Is it related to the Rebels?"

"I'm not sure."

Daxan nods and remains silent.

As they drive over Tarkinstreet, Eva counts the Soi they pass. Sidestreets of major streets in Vaulent Capital are called Soi and numbered. Eva finds Soi 5, 7, and at last, Soi 9.

Daxan drives into Soi 9, leaving the busy street. It is desolate as damp fumes rise from the sewer vents in the tarmac. The streetlights illuminate the street in a faint, yellow hue as Eva focuses her eyes on the house numbers of the apartment blocks. 50. 55. 60. 65.

"Stop," Eva snaps.

Daxan slows down gradually and drives into an empty parking lot. As he turns off his speeder bike, Eva jumps off and walks to house number 65. This is the apartment where the old man lives. Eva looks up and sees all the windows above her are lit, including that of Mr Dane's floor. He's home.

As Daxan catches up, Eva suddenly feels a cold wave over her neck, rippling through her skin. She stops in her tracks, her hand hovering over the door button. It is the sensation of two burning eyes staring at her from afar. Someone is watching her. With cold shivers, Eva turns around with a pounding heart, looking at the street, the bustling road afar, the building tops, the windows, but there is nothing, except for a stray Loth cat sleeping on the lid of a garbage container in a desolate alley. The neighborhood is virtually dead. Yet, she can still feel the sensation of someone looking at her.

Eva's eyes land on the loth cat. This time, it's looking at her with less of a mild intrigue in its bright, yellow eyes, awoken to her presence. However, its bleak eyes stare straight into her soul fiercely, captivating her until she forces herself to press the door button. She steps inside with electrified nerves, slight panicky. Why, why, why did that loth cat look so sinister at me?

Even then, as the door closes behind her with creaking hinges, Eva cannot shake off the burning feel on her back. Okay, okay. Nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about…

The staircase is bleak and monotone, devoid of any scent or colour, except for the holographic posters on the walls screaming with vibrant colour. Does it fit? Wear it!

Eva climbs the staircase until she arrives at the door of resident 68, the home of Mr Dane. "Here it is," and she presses the doorbell. Inside, a monotone, low-pitch hum rings.

Daxan takes a deep gasp as he catches up with her. "So… your verification-guy lives here?"

"Yeah. It's someone I know from long ago," Eva responds.

The door slides into the wall with Mr Dane standing in the hallway of his home. His eyes shine with surprise. "Ms Eva, good evening," he greets.

A thin smile forms on her face. "Good evening, Mr Dane."

Daxan quickly shakes Dane's hand and introduces himself. "Daxan."

"I have some information I need to verify," Eva asks. "Is it okay that I come by, so late?"

"Of course, mistress," he says with a smile. "It is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one, even so late. Come on in. Do you two want a cup of Caf?"

Eva steps inside with Daxan following her. "Yes, please."

"No, thank you."

"Hopefully, yours are better than at the Academy," Eva smirks.

"Oh certainly!" Mr Dane smiles.

Coming into the living room, Eva stumbles into a sea of treasures. Old, but shining furniture fills the room with old, sparkling antiques filling cabinets and shelves. The atmosphere turns into a sparkling haze of a majestic, golden hue, reflected by all the relics in the room. Mighty chandeliers hang from the ceiling. It's like a time capsule of thousands of years ago. The burning feeling on the back of her neck vanishes a little, but Eva can still feel like it's there, whispering to her from the far corners.

"Please, do not touch anything here," says Mr Dane, walking slower than a Hutt with his old cane.

With bewilderment, Eva gazes around, scanning his precious antiquities with awe. It's like a museum. More than that, even. "It looks amazing," she murmurs.

Daxan smirks softly. "Everything looks the same to me."

"I did not know you have so much at home, Mr Dane," says Eva. "How much do you have?"

Dane chuckles, looking over his shoulder as his walking cane makes light taps on the ceramic floor. "Too, too much, mistress, but for example," and he starts pointing out at the various things he has lying around with his cane. "A Mandalorian armour piece of the time of Tarre Vizsla, reunifier of the Mandalorian people, ruling with the iron hilt of the Darksaber. That shining cube over there, a datacron of the time of the Old Republic of centuries and centuries ago. Only a special type of person could reveal its precious treasure inside. The head of a B1 Battle Droid that once took part in the besiegement of Naboo forty years ago, moving in waves of unstoppable, unyielding force. And of course its later enemy, the Clonetroopers with this one once belonging to the 212th Attack Battalion."

Eva's eyes land on the bleak, weathered helmet of a Clonetrooper with faded yellow stripes, lying on a shelf put against the wall. Its black visor is cracked and broken. Though its old age is visible through the cracks, there is not a single spot of dust anywhere on the helmet.

Daxan stops by and looks closer at the helmet. "Cloners, huh?"

"Cloners indeed. Millions of soldiers made from one. Highly effective, they were," adds Mr Dane.

"If so, why are they gone?" Daxan asks, his eyes still glued to the helmet.

"They were deemed unnecessary. The galaxy did not need them anymore."

Eva shifts her weight from foot to foot with unease. The business is starting to derail into trivial chatter.

"Once the Galactic Empire was installed, the Clone Army was deemed too expensive to maintain, only usable on a massive scale of galaxy wide war, but when it all ended, the galaxy had changed. More loyal conscripts could fight at half the cost, so-,"

"Mr Dane," Eva snaps, calmly.

He stops.

"A cup of Caf please," Eva repeats with half a smile.

Mr Dane nods, expressing his understanding. "Of course, of course. I will be with you in a short moment."

Mr Dane disappears into the kitchen, slowly, and Eva glances at Daxan. "Just business, okay?"

Daxan shrugs. "Yeah, of course, but why the haste?"

Eva takes a deep breath and steps closer to him. "I don't feel very comfortable here."

"Is there something wrong here?" Daxan asks, and he gazes around, quickly. "If it's all the dusty, old stuff here, I get it."

"It's not that, exactly," Eva sighs. Even though it feels safe here, the whispers remain to put her nerves on constant alert. "I'm not sure what it is," she sighs.

Crossing her arms with unease electrifying her nerves, Eva looks down at her waist and sees her blaster is still with her, hanging from her belt. At least there is some assurance she can hold onto. Daxan does not have a blaster though. Hopefully, that won't be a problem.

"So, whatever that man will tell you, do you want me to listen?"

"I'd rather not," Eva stammers. "I hope you don't mind. It's a little bit too personal."

"No, that's fine," Daxan responds. "I'll be outside the door, taking a smoker."

Eva hums. So, you're a heavy smoker, huh?

As Mr Dane returns with a tablet with a cup of steaming Caf, he turns to Eva with a curious look. "So, madam. To what do I owe your lovely presence here?"

Daxan glances at Eva. She nods. He nods too and walks away, leaving the two behind.

Eva swings her backpack from her back. "Answers," and she zips it open and pulls out the slab of stone. "Answers regarding this thing."

Mr Dane's old eyes twinkle with intrigue, raising his wrinkled eyebrows. "Of course, the present I gifted you. May I?"

Eva hums and lets Mr Dane take the slab from her arms. She drops her backpack on the floor and shoves it aside with her foot. She takes a sip from her Caf and immediately, the taste overflows her tastebuds. Eva almost shudders by the explosion of taste in her mouth.

"Certainly better than at the Academy," Eva hums.

Mr Dane smiles. "The best investment anyone can make is a good brewing machine."

Eva smirks. "Only if the high peeps thought like that…"

Mr Dane nods and shifts his attention to the stone. "This lovely artifact," he hums, glancing shortly at Eva before his eyes are drawn back to the stone. "Beautiful. I cannot stop looking at it, drawing my fingers over the elegantly inscribed lines. Astronomically elegant. So, madam, fire away."

"Well, I-, I'm not sure where to start," Eva stammers. "It's a long story."

"Start at the beginning," Mr Dane responds. "It's when I gifted this to you."

"Yes, yes. I took it to the Academy, put it on my nightstand and kept it safe," Eva starts, and she tells Mr Dane about the dreams that turned into nightmares, the shipwreck, the Twi'lek and her fiery saber, and her last nightmare with Eline on her knees and the ISB firing squad. With every sentence, Eva can notice the pupils of Mr Dane growing larger and larger with intrigue, listening in silence. "This Twi'lek has been taking away my nights. I want it to stop."

Mr Dane nods. "This power you describe, it is something I have not heard in years. Lifting objects in the air, pushing and pulling things with air, a weapon of light—decades, even."

Eva raises her eyebrows. People have known of this power too? "You know this… thing?"

"Oh yes," said Mr Dane. "It was a power everyone of early age wanted to master."

"What? This sorcery—it was a profession? A 9-to-5 job?"

Mr Dane smirks. "No, no, it is more than that," and then his tone immediately shifts more seriously. "But… I am not on the ISB watchlist, am I?" speaking softly, as if to not alert any listening devices.

Eva chuckles. "No, I don't think so. Unless you've stolen all of these things in your old days."

Mr Dane smiles. "Well, in that case, in my early days, very early-before the age of the Empire, most of the galaxy was protected by an order of knights, maintaining peace throughout the Rims. Your story makes me think that this artifact belongs to the kind of the Twi'lek, to her order… at last, it is making sense."

Eva scoffs. "Making sense? How? This alien showed up out of a derelict ship and started wrecking the base with mystical power. How does all of this make sense? What does this stone have to do with all of this?"

Mr Dane starts walking away with his cane, seemingly processing the story as he nods slightly. "Most of your story makes sense to me, in historical context at least. An alien of mystical power—it is the story of the Jedi."

"The Jedi?" Eva can't recall what it exactly means. All she knows is that it is on the mission verbatim of the Imperial Security Bureau. They hunt those kinds of… things.

"An ancient order of sorcerers, wielding the power of the Force" says Mr Dane. "Many civilisations following the old ways of life describe this galactic power… or sorcery, in their sacred texts. But it is the Jedi that have used it to shape the galaxy in the past millennium."

Eva listens, paying close attention. "To shape the galaxy?"

Daxan nods with a smile. "They had power," he smirked.

Eva's eyes drift away. Holy shit. It's already getting a bit too much for her to process. "And this Twi'lek," she stammers, "is she part of this order?"

"With what you have described, most likely, yes," Mr Dane responds, glancing at her, shortly. "This Twi'lek, how old was she?"

"Same age as me, I think," Eva shrugs.

"Same age as you," Mr Dane ponders. "The Jedi Order was organised into different ranks. Master, Knight, Sentinel… your suspect most likely wore the rank of Padawan."

"Oh right, yes, she called herself that, a Padawan," Eva stammers. "What does it mean?"

"A Padawan is a pupil, an apprentice of a Master or a Knight, trained into the ways of the Jedi."

"And this order, where is it?"

Mr Dane smirks. "I fear it is no longer alive. You see," and he grasps her shoulder firmly, swaying with his hand as if it is a magical, grand story he is telling, "the Jedi Order attempted to seize control over the Senate, or so it was told. The Jedi tried to assassinate the Chancellor, which turned the entire Grand Army and the Senate against the Jedi Order, killing all of them in a single night. This Padawan seems to be a survivor. A lone survivor."

Eva nods, swallowing heavily as she tries to process all the information. "What about the stone?" she asks, hoarse.

"I am uncertain of what its relation to the Jedi could be," Mr Dane responds, furrowing his eyebrows. "The Force can take many forms and shapes, woods and stones. It is a mystery no ordinary person can comprehend. But it is very clear that this object is connected to the Jedi Order, or the Force. Whatever it is connected to, both options are terrifying."

Eva nods. "So… a cosmic supermonster," she sighs. "I'm dealing with a cosmic sorcerer." The courage depletes like ice before the sun and with a heavy sigh with a sunken heart, she pivots around, unable of what to think now.

"Not just a sorcerer," says Mr Dane. "A guardian. The knight of the light. That is what you are dealing with, mistress."

"A knight," Eva whispers with a sigh and reaches to her forehead.

A knight of the light. Eva starts to understand what she is really facing. Not just any threat like Lu or the Rebel Alliance and its bright flame, but a knight of an order of ancient sorcerers. Lu, even with her skills as a Rebel operative working from the shadows, sabotaging and assassinating, is a peasant compared to this Jedi.

"A knight…" Eva repeats. "A knight of cosmic power."

Mr Dane smirks. "It is something else than your usual dosage of rounding up Rebel activity, is it not?"

Eva chuckles nervously. "I guess," she whispers. With uncertainty, Eva runs her fingers through her strands of hair, unsure of what to do against this sorcerer. Things were already complicated, but now, even more so.

A soft alarm erupts in the kitchen behind Mr Dane, beeping into the livingroom. The gentleman glances over his shoulder. "Ah, my tea," and he glances back at Eva. "I am sorry, Ms Eva, I will be right back with you."

He disappears into the kitchen, slowly, giving Eva the room to breathe. Eva backs away and leans against the hard backrest of the sofa as the information is slowly sinking in. Her eyes gaze into oblivion, stuck to the warm, wooden floor as her hands squeeze the sofa's backrest as her thoughts twist and twist. The more she thinks back to the Twi'lek, the more she believes it is a miracle she even survived her violent brawls. It has been a few days since the Padawan broke free from Malmstrom Training Ground. Since that day, the Twi'lek survived the hunting parties of the Army. Dozens of troopers and Scout Walkers…

The Twi'lek is not simply a skilled operative, trained by an excellent espionage agency. She's a sorcerer, a knight, a Jedi, the apprentice of an even more powerful Jedi. If she is capable of such destructive power, any military hardware might be unmatched by a Knight or a Master. Eva realises that she can't let the Twi'lek find other survivors of this Jedi Order. The urge to stop her grows grimly, not only for her own sake, but for the sake of the entire Empire and the people.

Eva buries her face in her hands, uncertain of how to proceed. But there is still a spark of hope sparkling from deep within. It should still be possible to stop such a cosmic force, and though the hints of doubt whisper from the corners of her mind, Eva feels convinced that there is a way to handle this. That Twi'lek must have a weakspot, right? Something Eva can use, a gap in this Jedi religion, a temptation or something, a backdoor. There must be something she can use to take the Twi'lek down, right? Right?

As Mr Dane stays longer away, the question starts burning in her mind, screaming to be answered, and Eva cannot hold in the urge anymore. It is a question she cannot hold quiet.

Clenching her fists as she's unable to hold in the question, Eva hurries to the kitchen, her feet pounding on the floor. "Mr Dane. The Jedi, do they have a-,"

A screech erupts next to her with sparks crashing into her face. Eva shrieks and stumbles back, falling on the floor. Gasping, Eva crawls away and slams her back into the wall, her nerves burning.

Someone fired at her. Who? Who the hell is in here?

Slowly, with a pounding heart, Eva gets up and carefully peers around the corner, her heart beating as if it is in her throat. Moving in the kitchen, Eva sees four figures in the kitchen, armed with drawn A280 blaster rifles. Who the hell are they?

Her eyes slowly draw to a slumped body leaning against the kitchen counter. A walking cane rolls slowly over the floortiles, slightly tapping with each full rotation it makes. Eva's pupils widen as one figure grasps the body's hand and drags it away over the floor. Mr Dane?

Her gasps become shallow with each shorter than before, her mind running wild. Did they kill him? No. No, it cannot be. And as her thoughts continue to twist, a hint of rage combusts in her chest, enraged as her eyes linger to Mr Dane's seemingly lifeless body. Her fists clench with anger.

Another blaster bolt hits the doorway and Eva panics, slamming her back into the wall with racing lungs. Her thoughts turn to the figures. Who can they be? Thugs? Robbers? No, that's not possible. They have A280 rifles. Criminals rarely use them. Who else can they be?

"Was it her?" a voice whispers.

"I don't kriffin' know."

"Blast it. Get that kid. Stun round."

Her heart plummets in her chest. Eva curses under her breath as her hands slowly crawl to her blaster hanging from her waist. Dank Ferrik. Well, if you want a fight, you'll get it, scum.

Eva slowly draws the blaster from her belt and squeezes the grips. From the kitchen, she can hear the heavy, silent taps on the floor, coming closer and closer. Eva squeezes the grips of her blaster until it burns in her hands.

The thug turns around the corner, expecting to stun a little girl. Instead, Eva pulls the trigger, barraging him immediately in the stomach with blaster fire. His body almost snaps in two by the hellfire piercing his stomach as he slams on the floor, lifeless instantly. The other thugs shake with terror and raise their blasters. Eva hurries back into the living room, jumps over the sofa and takes cover as the rain of fire hurdles over her. The blaster fire pounds in her ears like thunder until the barrage ceases. Crackling fire erupts from the sofa's backrest, dancing through the prickling smoke.

"Come out, kid!" cries one of the thugs. "Make it easy for yourself. We do not want to hurt you."

Eva feels like her heart is in her throat, pounding with anxiety as she remains quiet.

"Let's strike a deal, huh?" one of their voices echoes into the living room, gasping. "This poor, old man is alive. Likely with a broken arm, but alive. We want the Artefact. Let's exhange. His life with your Artefact."

What? The Artefact?

The thug's words echo through her mind as Eva glances frantically at the stone lying on the table behind her. Her pupils grow, her heart slowly sinking into her chest.

They want it. They are here to steal it, and they know she has it. Eva's thoughts spiral into panic, slowly realising that the only kind of thugs that want the Artefact specifically is the Jedi Twi'lek. These thugs may not be thugs, but Rebels. Rebel scum.

Eva curses under her breath. At least Mr Dane is alive, or so they state. Though they may be Rebels, it is an assurance Eva wants to believe, and so she does. Nonetheless, this has become much more complicated. Now, Rebels are looking for the Artefact as well, a slab of stone, worthless at first sight. It proves its importance.

But it should not be complicated. She just has to fight her way out like she does all the time. Wreak havoc on scum that oppose her. Fellow cadets do not call her the Rebel Scum Killer for nothing. Her jaws clench as her nerves burn with rage, almost feeling their blood running over her hands from their wounds.

"I have a better deal," Eva cries. "Drop dead!"

Clenching the blaster, Eva rises from her cover and fires into the kitchen, barraging the thugs with fire. One Rebel collapses with a scream. The others take cover and fire back. Eva ducks, pushes up and hurries to the kitchen doorway, takes cover, and fires back.

One shot hits the stove. Sparks fly off, dying down before they touch the floor. Eva gets back to cover and as she peeks around the corner, the two Rebels remain to suppress. Then, her eyes land on the damaged stove and her pupils grow with anxiety. A gap has punched its way through the gaspipe. An invisible cloud of gas rises and accumulates below the ceiling, blurring the lights a little. Some of it leaks into the living room.

Eva slowly lowers her blaster with her nerves electrifying with panic. One wrong hit and the gas might ignite with a fiery explosion as a result.

Eva gets back to cover and hurries to the sofa where her backpack lies. This home has just become a safety hazard, a potential crematorium. She has to get out of here before a spark ignites it and blasts this apartment in pieces. Okay, okay. Her thoughts run into chaos. Dank Ferrik. Escape plan, escape plan. The hell should I do?

Then, before she can form an escape plan, the living room floods with an orange hue. The blaster fight turns silent instantly. Eva rises from the floor with one hand grasping her backpack and her heart sinks in her chst. The orange blaze burns in her eyes as the kitchen before her is engulfed in flames. Then, an explosion shakes the floor. The blast pushes Eva off of her feet. Screaming, Eva crashes through the window and falls down. The ground races closer until two arms catch her body and Eva slams her head onto the shoulder of someone. The two arms squeeze her, tightly.

"I got you," Daxan gasps.

The glass shards tingle on the tarmac around her as Eva gasps for air. With her legs on the cold sidewalk, Eva can still feel the heat, scorching her skin. As the feeling of safety slowly sinks in, her lungs finally open up and Eva is able to breathe. Frigid air runs into her lungs, making her shiver as Eva rests her head on Daxan's shoulder, unable to speak.

"I got you…" Daxan whispers, his voice shivering.

Eva breathes out one last gasp. Wait… The stone.

Her nerves ignite immediately. The stone… she left it in the apartment. What happened to it? She has to get it back.

"The stone," Eva stammers, hoarsely, and with pain in her muscles, she pushes herself off of Daxan.

Eva glances shortly at the boy. His worrisome eyes reflect a hint of something else she cannot place.

"Come on," says Eva, getting up, and she extends her hand to him. "There are Rebels. They don't catch themselves."

Daxan lets out a sigh and presses his lips. "Yeah, figured that out," and he takes her hand and gets up.

As Eva grasps her backpack and her blaster from the ground, she hears the engine of a speeder coming closer from a dark alley. Light burns through the darkness until two speeder bikes race out. In the short window of time, Eva makes eye contact with one of the drivers. It is the same Rebel from Dane's apartment. Behind him sits another Rebel, his metal backpack strapped tightly, and Eva realises that they have the Artefact now and are running away with it.

"No, no, shit!" Eva cries and she runs back to Daxan. "Get the speeder running!"

Eva hops onto his bike as Daxan flips the ignition.

An alerted neighbor runs out of his apartment on the other side of the street. "Hey! What happened?"

Daxan drives out of the parking lot, nearly crashing into the speeder cab in front of him.

Eva glances at the neighbor. "Call an ambulance for 68, there's a man in the kitchen!" she cries. "Bye!" and before the man can reply, they shriek away.

As Eva holds tightly onto the bike's frame, she looks over Daxan's shoulder and sees the speeder bikes of the Rebels in the distance, racing through the desolate streets with a roaring engine. The lit windows flash past her in a dazzling blur as the stormy wind catches her hair.

"What happened?" Daxan cries.

"Rebels got into the apartment, blew up the gasline and stole the Artefact!"

"E'chuta."

"Go after them!"

Clinging onto the speeder bike for dear life, Eva's thoughts dart to Mr Dane. Hopefully, she can trust that one Rebel who offered to exchange his life for the Artefact, but she cannot be certain. The fear for his life remains to chase her.

As Eva keeps her eyes on the speederbikes, the Rebels suddenly split up with one racing into a street and the other emerging onto an avenue.

"Blast it, they've split up!" Daxan cries.

Eva curses under her breath. The other Rebel vanishes beyond the building as Daxan continues to drive straight. Eva hopes the stray-away Rebel does not have the stone, but to her horror, the Rebel they're following now is making more and more distance. They're falling behind.

"Dank Ferrik. Keep following!" Eva cries.

"They're quick," Daxan cries. "I don't think I can keep up for long."

Eva nods and thinks. If they can't keep up, she will have to pick the driver off with a blaster. She reaches for her blaster and rests it on Daxan's shoulder.

Eva tries to aim at the Rebel driver but Daxan's speeder bike wobbles too much and she risks hitting a very unfortunate bystander. But she knows she has no other choice. She'll have to give her aim the best she got.

Closing one eye and holding in her breath until it hurts, Eva aims at the Rebel driver. They enter a stretch of newly-laid tarmac, giving Eva the window she needs. The crosshair lands on the Rebel driver and Eva fires away. She hits him in the back. His body falls off, rolling over the tarmac like a ragdoll while his speeder maintains its course and vanishes out of view. The other Rebel lies unconscious on the sidewalk with his head cracked open like a nutshell.

Eva gasps with relief and hops off. She runs to the Rebel as blood gushes out of his crooked neck. Eva flips the body on its stomach with her feet and zips his backpack open. She rummages through its content. Her hands brush against objects, but none of them feels like the Artefact. Her hands start shaking as the panic grows. Eva zips it further open, nearly tearing the zipper apart and holds the bag upside down. All the trash clatter down, but no Artefact. As the dust falls out of the backpack, her lungs shudder as a haunting conclusion reaches her mind. This Rebel did not have the Artefact. They chased the wrong one.

"No," Eva gasps. "Dank Ferrik," and she smacks the backpack on the road with anger.

"Didn't find it?" Daxan cries, catching up, his bike's engine still running.

Eva shakes her head with frustration, clenching her fists as her thoughts twist into chaos. "No. We followed the wrong one. The other one had it. We should've followed the other one. Dank Ferrik, now it's gone!"

Eva kicks some of the content that sat in the Rebel's backpack and clasps her forehead. "Now it's gone. We lost it."

"Wait, Eva," Daxan snaps.

"It's gone! We lost it!"

"Eva-,"

"How are we going to find it!"

"Eva!"

She stops. Her gasps of panic echo through the cold night sky. She glances at Daxan as he holds his finger in the air.

"Hear that?"

Eva calms down her lungs and focuses on the sounds of the city. She can hear the rattling sound of a water drainage, the soft chatter of a HoloVision channel through the walls, the shrieking engines of traffic city blocks away, and her heart pounding like blasterfire.

"Hear what?" Eva asks.

"The sirens," Daxan responds.

Eva focuses once again and this time, she hears what Daxan means: the sirens of police cruisers softly echoing through the night sky.

"If we're lucky, Capital Police are chasing the dang Reb," Daxan responds.

The coin drops. If they follow the sirens, they might end up at police cruisers chasing the Rebel speeder bike through the Capital. "Oh shit," Eva realises.

They run back to the speeder bike, hop on, and drive away, shrieking towards the sirens. As they emerge out of a street, the Rebel speeder bike shrieks past them, barely missing them.

"That's him!" Eva cries, bumping into Daxan's back with adrenaline.

Daxan brakes as two police cruisers race past them with blaring sirens and flashing lights. Daxan accelerates and tails them as they cross intersections. As the foremost police cruiser comes close enough for a pit maneuver, the Rebel driver twists around on his seat and draws his blaster, hitting the cops. The front window shatters as twinkling shards flood the tarmac. It swerves over the road uncontrollable, nearly hitting the other police cruiser until it crashes into a street light with thunder. The light topples and Daxan swerves out of its way as it crashes onto the road.

Her heart skips a beat as Eva glances over her shoulder at the street light blocking the road and the crashed police cruiser. That… that could've been us.

They chase the Rebel onto an avenue towards an intersection. The traffic lights turn red as the Rebel races towards it, distracted by the police cruiser. As the Rebel crosses the lights, a speeder cab shrieks across the intersection and hits the bike. Eva's heart stops as the Rebel driver flies off of his speeder and smashes onto the tarmac. The police cruiser hits the debris and swerves into a parked speeder cab, crashing into it with a bone-chilling bang.

"E'chuta!" Daxan cries and pounds on the brakes.

Eva smacks into his back as the speeder comes to a stop below the traffic lights. Her pupils grow with disbelief, shocked at the crash she just witnessed. Hopefully, the police officers and the occupants of that speeder cab survived.

That Rebel can die, though.

Eva hops off and sees the Rebel groaning with tormenting pain. He tries to crawl away like an ant over the tarmac with arms covered in blood sparkling in the moonlight. His left leg is crooked in an unnatural way. His knee looks like it has broken apart as blood gushes out. Seeing him move like an insect makes rage combust in her chest. This scum had the guts to mug Mr Dane, an old, poor man who did nothing wrong.

The Rebel glances at her with the fear etched on his watery eyes begging for mercy.

Eva cocks her blaster and aims at him with sharp eyes. "Rebel scum," and blasts his face open.

Another one, gone from this galaxy.

Eva reaches for his bloody backpack and zips it open. Her hand rummage hastily through its content until she feels the elegant lines of the Artefact. Her heart floods with relief as she pulls the stone out of the backpack, well and whole. With relief, Eva lowers the stone into her backpack carefully and hops onto Daxan's speeder bike.

Eva glances at the crashed police cruiser. Its engine smokes and the headlights flicker as the two police officers try to climb out of the crooked windows.

One of them sees her. "Hey, stop!"

Eva waves. "Glad you're OK," and she taps on Daxan's shoulder. "Let's get going."

Daxan pushes the pedals and shrieks away, leaving the two officers behind with a dead Rebel and a pool of dark blood gushing into the sewers.

So, what has she learned? A game of Dejarrik can be won with the most simple setpieces, but when the opponent has its hand on one, powerful asset, the odds become slim. A knight of an ancient order of sorcerers is a whole lot. They once ruled the galaxy and at one point, attempted seizing the Senate's control. This Jedi tailhead is a dangerous opponent Eva is not sure she can take, but she is sure that the Padawan has a weak spot. Anyone has, even the strongest setpieces of Dejarrik.

However, listing to the whispers of the story Mr Dane told her makes her grow weary. Her thoughts slowly drift away to a void of absence, her eyes unable to stay open. Eva carefully rests her head against Daxan's back as the city lights hypnotise her with exhaustion. Her muscles ache and her forehead feels like it's burning, from the gas explosion that blasted her away. The lit windows leak into vague lines as the darkness slowly dances around the edges of her vision.

Then, Eva smacks into Daxan's back violently and opens her eyes. She squeezes the bike's frame as Daxan turns his speeder into a desolate alley and stops.

With her heart pounding, Eva glances over his shoulder, confused and nervous. Why the stop? Were they followed? Did he spot something?

Daxan switches off the engine, and seemingly gazes ahead with uncertainty. He lets out a sigh and steps off and glances at her with frustration in the corner of his eyes.

Eva remains silent as Daxan taps with his foot lightly on the tarmac, unsure of what to do next. His pondering leaves Eva with more confusion. Is something bothering him?

After a long pause, he finally speaks up. "You and I have something to discuss."

Eva's eyes cast downward at the tarmac until she shakes her head. "No? Do we?"

"Yes, we do," Daxan responds. "I thought I was going to take you from A to B." He shakes his head. "Apparently not."

Eva glances at the sky, unsure of the whole ordeal. "Is there a problem? I needed a ride. You wanted to be on the mission. Fine."

"That is not what I mean." He takes a big gasp of air, his chest expanding a little. "Honestly, I was a little bit too enthusiastic. I did not expect very much, but you kept things from me. You kept things vague."

Eva shrugs. "Yeah, of course I keep things for myself. I don't want my personal things to be known."

"And I get that. Trust me, I get that. I get it more than you think. But there are things you could have told me that would have helped me. I didn't know whatever you had was so important to the Rebels. They were willing to blow up a building along with you, possibly me if I stayed with you. You understand what I mean?"

Eva presses her lips. The Rebels did not exactly blow it up. It was more of an accident, but the point still stands. They surely would've blown it up. Though she does not want to admit it, she understands where Daxan is coming from, and he is right. She pressed away details that put Daxan in danger. She knew there was danger. She knew that at least the Jedi Padawan was after it. She didn't know the Rebels were after it though. The Padawan must have sought support from the Rebels after she hunted her through Malmstrom Forest. But she knew there was danger, and she did not warn Daxan about it. She told her nothing about the dangers, and Eva recognises that that was a mistake. A horrible one had Daxan been killed.

Eva bites her lips with regret as her eyes cast downward with sorry. She nods silently, unable to speak a word as her chest tightens.

Daxan nods. "Look, it happened. We can't do much about it now, but what matters is that I cannot go back to the Academy or Malstrom Base. I expected to be a driver, not the suspect in a Rebel bombing. I've gotten the eyes of Capital Police on me and have probably run an ID on me. Once they find out they were Rebels or that we are cadets of the Academy, they're going to involve the ISB."

A hint of fear flickers in Daxan's eyes. Eva can tell that he is afraid of what he has gotten himself into. However, Eva can see something else and even hear it between the lines of his words. Is he trying to get on the mission? To her, it sounds like he is using the authorities, his fear as an excuse.

Unease brews within her as Eva leans forward over the bike. "No problem. I can vouch for you."

Daxan shakes his head. "I'm concerned it won't be enough. The last time you went AWOL, I heard your squadmembers were interrogated by the ISB for hours." His voice turns trembling with fear. "Maybe I'm just paranoid-I probably am, but I can't trust them."

Eva swallows and glances away as the memories of those days flash before her. Her search for Lu and her Rebel insurgents caught the eyes of the ISB. Her activities were found rebellious, dangerous, and threatening, and made it their mission to capture her with all the manpower they could muster. Eva remembers from Peyton and Ashara that they were interrogated for hours in claustrophobic cubicles, smaller than the detention cells. They helped Eva cover up her activities until they were caught.

She doesn't wish anyone the ISB treatment that Ashara and Peyton have gotten, friends and strangers. "No one likes them," she sighs.

"Exactly. I don't want to see them, so-, so I'm asking you," Daxan stammers with a hint of nervousness. "I'm asking you to take me in. Let's be honest, I was never going to be on the mission when you hopped on my bike the first time. You'd have ditched me if things didn't go differently. But things have changed in my perspective."

Eva leans back, glancing at him with uncertainty. In her mind, she would rather tell him to go home and trust her that she can vouch for him. She would rather play alone and do this mission solo. But from within, Eva understands Daxan's fear for the ISB. They truly are ruthless in chasing down any foe that may pose a threat to them and the Empire. Besides, Eva dragged him into this situation. She didn't tell her true intent. He wouldn't deserve the consequences.

Eva glances away and lets out a sigh, reluctant to take him in, but she recognises his value as a driver and her own mistake. So, at last, Eva nods. "You're on."

Daxan presses his lips with relief, but in his eyes, Eva notices a hint of uncertainty as well.

"Let's find somewhere to sleep, huh?" says Daxan, hopping onto his bike.

Eva yawns. "Good idea. Go back to Tarkinstreet first. I want to see how he's doing."

Daxan nods and flips the ignition, and they shriek away as the stars crawl higher into the night sky. Should she trust Daxan? Was it the right call to have him on the mission? Eva isn't entirely sure.